Disclaimer: All the characters from the "Magnificent Seven" T.V. series are property of Trilogy Entertainment, The Mirisch Group, MGM Worldwide.
War had come to Territory.
Some would say that it had been around for some time with cattleman and homesteads battling it out with acts of violence that seemed never to end. In the counties of Colfax and Lincoln, the war raged on with such fierce intensity that the violence seemed never ending. Casualties mounted in numbers that would have been consistent with an open declaration of war and though it had been almost three years since its beginning, there finally appeared to be some end in sight. Since becoming Governor, General Lew Wallace who had replaced Samuel B Alten, a member of the powerful faction known as the Santa Fe ring, was working hard to remove all traces of corruption that had escalated the situation to its present state. Of course Four Corners was not immune to warfare that existed between the settlers and cattleman. The town's experiences with men like Stuart James and Guy Royal had made that impossible. Fortunately, the presence of its seven peacekeepers had ensured that the violence did not reach boiling point as it had in so many other counties that had become in so many other surrounding counties.
Unfortunately, Four Corners did not escape the violence even if they did exist on the fringes of the Lincoln County Wars. The region had been experiencing its own troubles ever since Hannibal Julius had lit a match to the Territory with his incendiary words of statehood, sparking a resumption of the Plains Wars many had thought hopefully was over. Despite the fact that the insurrection by separatists' Indian tribes who believed the only way to ensure the survival of their race was the complete eradication of any white man they saw. Sporadic raids on small towns and homesteads had forced the seven to make periodic patrols of the outlying properties, just to ensure that they could keep on top of any war party that might get it in their minds to gain a few white scalps as trophies. This, coupled with the warring factions of landowners and settlers, the region was so unsafe that it was no wonder that calls for statehood had been rejected in the nation's capital.
Ezra Standish did not concern himself over such things because one as jaded as him was inclined to believe that it was none of his business. Such brush fires had a tendency to put themselves out with time and in its own fashion. Four Corners though touched by such matters had not become embroiled too deeply in it, although the arrival of Benjamin Bosshard had caused some concern to the seven. Bosshard had a reputation of in league with one of the architects of the trouble in Lincoln county, Laurence G Murphy. Murphy's part in the Lincoln county wars was well known and the fact that one of his agents was in Four Corners did not at all sit well with Chris Larabee. The gunslinger whom at one time would probably have been hired by men like Murphy for their little war, was not about to see Four Corners descend into the chaos that had afflicted the rest of the Territory. Rumor had it that thanks to Governor Wallace's vigilance in ensuring men of character were appointed to positions of power, such as Judge Orin Travis, the war would run its course in a matter of months.
Chris had no intention of allowing Four Corners to be the venue of its last stand.
While Chris had not done anything over to indicate that Benjamin Bosshard was less than welcome in Four Corners, the gunslinger and the rest of the seven had been keeping a close eye on the man since his arrival in town. Ezra himself had engaged the man in a game or two at the Standish saloon and though there was every indication that Bosshard was a man who would not hesitate to put a bullet into another if his interests were endangered, Bosshard had been nothing but amiable during their play. Still, Ezra had a talent for reading people and he could not deny that despite the civility of their exchanges, Bosshard's true personality was hidden beneath a social veneer, which he employed for those who were not his enemies. Suffice to say, Ezra suspected the man bore a mean streak that it was not in his wisest interest to incur and knew wisely when to withdraw when their card playing games tipped too much in his favor.
Nevertheless, he did managed to learn what Bosshard was doing in Four Corners even if that answer made the normally imperceptible Mr Larabee even more on edge than usual. Ezra could tell that Chris anticipated trouble and the truth was, Ezra did not think him far wrong even if there was no evidence of it at present. Men like Bosshard would create chaos eventually, it was just a matter of time for it to realise its form. Bosshard claimed that he was here to expand his business interests. While he had done nothing against that law that could allow the seven to act, Ezra suspected that if his business interests were anything like what the Lincoln County Wars were about, then Four Corners was in for something of a storm.
Ezra glanced at his pocket watch and noted that the stage was running a little late. He had been watching the depot where the stage usually came to a halt from the jailhouse, anticipating its arrival at any time and was somewhat chagrinned that it was taking so much time to do so. The rest of the seven and their ladies, including his own were at the Lucky 7 ranch, aiding Vin Tanner in his efforts to build his home. With Alex now in the family way, Vin was determined to build a permanent abode for himself and his wife before the arrival of their child. Despite himself, Ezra could not keep from smiling at the thought of the wild and wooly tracker as a father. It was almost as unlikely as Ezra becoming one himself.
Even though Julia had said nothing about it, Ezra could tell that it was difficult for her to see her friends moving on with their lives. Mary was now a wife and mother, just as Inez was and now Alex was joining that set. Casey was still too young to be married and after what Neil Blackwood had done to her, she needed some healing before she could take that step. Ezra empathized with her completely. Rain and Nathan had also been talking about marriage recently and even had Josiah considering the possibility himself. While Julia did not make any demands of him, he could tell by the glimmer in her eyes that she thought about it a great deal more than she cared to admit it. Ezra wished he could oblige her because he truly did love her and she was the only woman he could ever imagine wedding but the truth was, there were wound inside of him that were far from healing. Until that happened, he was not fit to be a husband let alone a father as Vin would soon become.
His friends seemed to sense that there were some demons he was trying to overcome and did not bring up the subject with him. Even though Chris, Nathan and Josiah were the only ones excepting Julia who knew what had really happened to him at Julius' hands, Ezra could tell that the others could sense that something was wrong even if they did not know precisely what. It was a testament of their friendship that neither, Vin, Buck or JD ever questioned what it was that caused him to withdraw so much into himself during those first few weeks. They showed their loyalty and the strength of their camaraderie by now asking because there were times when friendship was being there when someone needed you without ever knowing why.
He wished the same applied to his mother.
In a matter of minutes, or whenever the stage felt deigned to enter the locality of Four Corners, Ezra would be faced with the one person he had no wish to see at this time. Maude Standish had always been able to see straight through him and the notion that she might discover what had been done to him was more than he could stand. Unfortunately, he could not tell Maude not to visit Four Corners because doing so would only inspire her curiosity even further and there would be nothing to prevent her from coming to town and learning what it was. Thus Ezra found himself stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place with no solution in sight and unable to tolerate the possibility that his mother might know of his disgrace.
Unfortunately, there was nothing to stop it from happening unless he could hide it from her and Ezra had never been able to hide very much from Maude. Although theirs was hardly the relationship that existed between most mothers and son, take the relationship of Mary Larabee and young Billy as a stark example of what theirs was not, Ezra and Maude were still close. She was the one person other than Julia who loved him for what he was, even when that was a peacekeeper in a small dusty town earning a dollar a day. She was also the only person who had been able to see past his defenses into person inside and Ezra was terrified that what she would see upon casting her gaze for the first time was not her son but a man sullied by the filth of another.
Even now, despite how much Josiah had tried to counsel him into believing that what had happened was not his fault, that everything that had been done to him and everything he had done in turn was the product of an act of brutal violence, Ezra could not believe it. He still woke up screaming at night from nightmares that made the actual event seem almost painless in comparison. He still had trouble feeling Julia's caresses on his skin and was unable to do any more than kiss her. Inwardly, he wanted her badly but the prospect of intimacy frightened him. Part of him knew, though he despised admitting it that there was a moment in that horrific experience with Julius where he had actually enjoyed it. He knew that he was being unfair to himself by thinking that since he was heavily drugged at the time and he suspected that Julius had doused the room with a fair amount of Julia's perfume to confuse his already addled mind.
Ezra suspected the reason he feared touching Julia was for the fact that what if the experience with her did not compare to those few misguided moments? The possibility that Julius had stirred such desire in him that could not be rivaled or bettered by the love of his life was something he could not even begin to imagine. The horror of it was beyond his ability to comprehend and so he stayed away from her at night, being unable to love her, being unable to think of a future where they would be married with children in their lives. He prayed that time would make it go away, would drive away these demons into the night and Julia had assured him that she would wait for as long as was necessary for him to overcome them. He just feared that one day she would realise that it was taking too long and leave him anyway.
The sudden thunder of horses captured Ezra's attention and he looked up to see the stage rolling into town, kicking up clouds of dust as it moved through the main street. Ezra rose to his feet and started across the street towards the depot where the stage would undoubtedly come to a halt. Glancing at his pocket watch, he estimated that he had enough time to see Maude to her hotel room before he rode out to the ranch to join the others. While he had no wish to partake in any form of menial labor, the times when the seven and their entourage gathered around to enjoy the day were occasions he would not miss for even the most highest stakes games of poker. If anything, these outings did more to soothe his troubled soul than all the time in the world.
The stage had come to a halt when Ezra stepped on the boardwalk at the other side of the street. As he made his way down the walkway, offering an obligatory wave back at Gloria Potter who had been so good to offer him the same, he saw that the stage coach driver was already beginning the ritual of unloading his passengers baggage. Undoubtedly the bulk of whatever was perched on top of the carriage would be Maude's. His mother still believed in appearances and her trunks, filled with ancient masonry from Rome, was meant to convey that, much to the dismay of those who had to unload it. Ezra watched as the door to the carriage was opened and people began to emerge from within the old Concorde.
Ezra took a deep breath and steadied himself, preparing to show the mask he hoped would fool Maude into believing that her darling boy was just the same as she had left him. It was possibly the hardest role he would ever have to play in his life for Maude was almost as sharp as Chris Larabee when it came to seeing through people's facades. If he were unable to maintain it, she would know everything and Ezra could not face that possibility so he could not fail.
His preparation was interrupted by her familiar voice. "Ezra, darling!" She called out as she stepped onto the boardwalk after one of the other passengers had helped her out of the carriage.
"Mother." Ezra produced his most charming smile and took her hand in his to offer her a continental greeting. "How was your trip?"
Maude Standish did not respond for a brief second, choosing only to gaze at her son for a second or two because something had caught her attention even though she not certain of what it was. Nevertheless, it had given her reason to pause and not pursue it because her instincts told her that it may lead somewhere that was not entirely healthy for her son. It was a mother's instinct, down to the raw and primeval level, to the naked ape that knew just from a whimper or the unsteady release of breath that her child was unwell. Perhaps she had not been the most conventional mother but he was her son and she loved him, no matter what he might think and she knew that moment she laid eyes on him, despite his efforts to employ the guises she taught him, that something was wrong. And it was through that same understanding that only seemed prevalent to those who had given birth and nurtured young life that formed their immortality, that she could not make mention of it until he was ready.
"Yes," she smiled her most dazzling, mirroring his facade with one of her own. "It was a pleasant enough journey." She kissed him lightly on the cheek.
Ezra felt a swell of relief at her lack of reaction to his well placed facade and took that as a sign that she had not noted anything unusual about him. That alone almost forced a sigh of relief from him before he remembered that he had nothing to be relieved about and showing it might engender questions in itself. "So how is St Louis?"
"The same," Maude shrugged. "I thought I might visit for a while, perhaps make some attempt to convince you that you are wasting your god given talents in this dusty town."
"Mother..." Ezra started to protest.
"Don't worry," Maude sighed. "I know how attached you are to this place and if it were not for the fact that Julia is here ensuring that you are not going completely to waste, I would be besides myself."
"Thank you." Ezra gave her a look. "Its nice to know you have so much faith in me."
"I can't help it." Maude replied as they walked to the hotel. "You could have done anything with your life, anything. The fact that you choose to play lawman, it just astonishes me."
"Perhaps there was someone in our family history with a good sense of morality that has unleashed itself upon me." Ezra retorted.
"It's likely from your father." Maude responded, not thinking until she had said it.
"My father?" Ezra stared at her somewhat surprised. "I thought you said he was the best con man in the Territory? Hardly someone with a great deal of moral fibre."
Maude swallowed, cursing herself for being stupid enough to let it slip. This was what came with old age, she fumed inwardly, blurting out things that had no business being said. "I'm sorry," she said tautly. "In my opinion, he had an abundance of it."
"Do not apologize," Ezra responded quickly. "This is the first that you deigned to volunteer more than two words about him. It captured me by surprise."
"I've told you about your father," she retorted a little defensively, even though she knew that he was telling the truth. She did not often speak about her husband to Ezra.
"Not a great deal," Ezra pointed out. "You've not been entirely forthcoming on that subject."
"That's ridiculous," she said stiffly. "I've told you all there is to know. If there isn't any more, its mostly because we did not spent all that much time together."
Something in Maude's tone told Ezra that it was probably wisest to leave the subject alone. Considering that he had secrets of his own that he did not wish her to know, he could respect her desire for privacy. Deciding that a tactful change in subject was required, Ezra cleared his throat and allowed a few seconds to pass before speaking once again. "Well I shall settle you at the hotel where I am certain you will be fleecing the patrons of the saloon there in no time. As for me, I have an engagement elsewhere."
"Oh?" She met his gaze. "And what would that be?"
"I am joining my friends at a house raising." Ezra returned and enjoyed the expression on her face when her nose wrinkled up in disgust.
"Please do not tell me that you are preparing to soil your hands with carpentry? I had thought I taught you better than that."
"Relax mother," Ezra chuckled. "I have no intention of building anything, just provide moral support to those who will." He grinned, his gold tooth gleaming under the light.
"Thank you," she said with a relieved sigh. "I take it Julia is there as well?"
"She is." He answered.
"You know Ezra," Maude remarked as she fell into stride with him. "It is about time you consider marrying that young woman."
Ezra stiffened, wishing she had brought up any subject but that one. He was already feeling bad enough on his own without his mother adding more fuel to fire. He knew that Julia wanted to marry him but his reasons for holding back were good ones and he had no wish to see Maude involve herself in the situation, which she was likely to do when she thought that he was in need of some extra prompting. The danger in her interference was not the fact that she might convince him to marry but she might discover why he was so reluctant to do so.
"I will when the time is right." He answered with enough of an edge in his voice to give her very indication that he did not wish to continue discussing this topic either.
"If you are insistent on residing in this locality, you might as well embrace all the trappings of domesticity Ezra. You are not growing any younger you know?"
Ezra snorted. He wondered if he had ever been young. Had there ever been any moment in his life where he had not felt jaded and cynical. Life had been aging him prematurely for years. The only difference was now his body was catching up to the rest of him. Following Hannibal Julius, Ezra felt like he had gone on for too long and should seriously start to consider the merits of simply shutting down. Certainly he had been too ravaged to ever take joy in feeling anything again. He knew that he was just feeling sorry for himself, that perhaps in time his dismal outlook over his existence might change but that time was now and he was far from recovered, even though the urge to put a bullet in his head had long since passed. Unfortunately, the temptation of it still lingered in the background of his mind, whispering to him softly that in its embrace, there would be no pain or suffering, no need to make decisions he found himself unable to face, just the cool breeze of oblivion on his skin.
"Mother...." Ezra started to say when Maude conceded that she was now going to get anywhere with him on this subject either.
"Alright darling," she cut him off before he could say anything else. "I will not make you squirm any more than necessary, although I must say I have not seen you so peevish in quite sometime."
Ezra did not know what to say to that but was grateful enough that the subject was done with. Now if he could just leave her to her own devices at the hotel then he might garner a little breathing space to think up just how he was going to manage keeping her at arm's length for the rest of her stay in Four Corners.
"Ezra," Maude suddenly declared. "I think that I will forgo the usual bout at the tables this afternoon."
Ezra paused and looked at her, having a terrible premonition in that second what she was about to say. "In favor of?"
"Joining you of course," she answered, confirming all his worst suspicions in that simple response. "I think I would like to catch up with Julia and Inez."
"Of course," Ezra nodded, giving up the effort to make an argument because it was just the way his day was going. Sometimes, it was best just to give up trying to survive the cards that Fate saw chose to deal and endure the game until it was done. Hopefully this would be the last surprise of the day.
Ezra had no idea how wrong he would be.
Alexandra Styles Tanner was not a happy woman.
Initially, discovering that she was with child had been a warm and happy experience and she had certainly come across enough expecting mothers in her time to know that there was nothing to keep her from being active until the last trimester of her pregnancy. However, she found that she now fatigued easily despite being able to cope with a demanding workload on most days. It irritated her beyond reason that she could not do the things that always came naturally to her. What made this all worse was the fact that no one had said anything to keep her restrained and mindful of her condition. They did not have to because she knew it herself and hated to admit that she was going to make changes to her lifestyle for the duration of her pregnancy.
Vin was no help either.
Well that's not entirely true. He was plenty of help in areas where she had always been self-sufficient and Alex really hated that. There were days when women did backbreaking labor, whether or not they were with child and Alex could not understand why she could not be like them instead of relenting to the limitations of her own body. She hated it that she could not go riding to the Indian village like she used to because a woman in her condition should not be going out across the Territory when the times were so uncertain. That in itself had nothing to do with her condition but Alex was certain that the trouble had coincided with her pregnancy just to inconvenience her.
Her rationale was not what it was either.
Her moods seemed to swell or deflate at the drop of a hat. One minute she was screaming at Vin telling him that he was impossible to live with and the next thing she was sobbing for even raising her voice to him. In any case, he was almost as confused as she was at times. Then came the physical changes and suddenly she was ravenously starved for intimacy, a side effect Vin did not seem to mind although it seemed to manifest at the most inconvenient times. This intermingled by the fact that the sight of food could send her into a mad fit of retching, was a source of great consternation to Alex. While the bouts of morning sickness had started to fade, though not entirely, Alex did not appreciate what it felt like to in the same situation she had seen so many of her patients through.
"Oh come on, its not that bad," Mary responded as they sat in the spot that Alex had deemed would be her garden once the house was erected. Not too far away, she could see the superstructure of the house being constructed with nails and wood. The house was somewhat an ambitious enterprise, far larger than the Wilmington home which the seven, including Ezra amazingly enough had constructed. Although the gambler's capacity for house building had only gone as far as supervising before he earned a sound soaking in a near by water trough. The Tanner home required a clinic along with a house and the construction of the house was a little more specialized. Even though it was far from completed, Alex could not deny that the shape it was taking was very pleasing indeed.
Even though the reason for their gathering was to build the house, it did not appear to be a chore for the men involved. Josiah had taken the lead mostly because he had the most experience in house building, having rebuilt the church that had been little more than a crumbling pile of debris when he had happened upon it. The preacher had also aided in the same way when the Wilmington home had been constructed and it was a testament to his skill how well it had turned out. On the grass near by, babies Elena Rose and Michael were entertaining each other. While Elena Rose was taking her first tentative steps, Michael was content to follow her around on all fours. Billy and Lilith were off exploring somewhere and the women of the seven were enjoying the warm summer's day.
"Oh really?" Alex stared at her with a brow raised. "I remember how charming you were when you carrying Michael and might I say that you have no reason to be so comfortable."
"I was not that grouchy." Mary pointed out hotly, her nose raised in dignity.
"Sure you weren't," Inez remarked with a little chuckle. "The unfortunate thing is, you were like that before the pregnancy."
"Oh you should talk," Mary stared at her friend. "We all remember what you were like when you were carrying Elena Rose. You were downright scary!"
"Not to mention always hungry." Julia pointed out.
"Well that's natural." Audrey responded. "I remember when Lilith was born. I thought I was going to die. I could not decide which I rather have more, the morning sickness or the appetite."
"But I'm tired all the time," Alex grumbled. "I am a doctor and I know everything I'm feeling is natural but I can't help wondering why I'm not coping with this as much as I would like. I mean I use to cram my days with so many things and always have time for myself, now I'm barely able to stay awake at the dinner table."
"But you do too much Alex," Rain reminded her. Working with the doctor as her nurse had taught Rain that much about Alex's work habits. "I have seen what you try to do everyday and there is no way that you can maintain the pace you do with the baby coming."
"I mean really think about all the things you do," Mary replied. "You run a practice which is not only centered in town with patients coming to see you, you also make house calls around the area, not to mention making occasional trips to the Indian Reserve and on top of all that, you still have to play wife. It's quite a pace."
"Well if that's the case," Alex said with a smug smile. "How do you manage to run the paper, look after two children and God knows how, manage to stand being married to that?" She waved a hand in Chris' direction. "All without getting absolutely insane?"
"Well," Mary ran an appreciative eye over her husband and remarked with a devilish smile. "He has his good points?"
"And would that be somewhere behind his jeans?" Julia asked with a wink of mischief in her eyes.
"Oh yeah," the women all remarked in unison, crooking their neck just a little to admire the derriere in question before they all erupted into laughter and drawing its owner's curiosity as he glanced in their direction. Chris wondered for a moment what they found so funny before deciding that it was probably not worth the effort trying to figure out.
Women, he snorted.
"You know Julia," Mary looked at the lovely Emporium owner once the moment had faded and they returned to some semblance of sensibility. "You and Ezra have been engaged forever. When are you two going to get married?"
Julia shrugged wishing this subject had not come up. It was difficult for her to watch her friends moving on with their lives, travelling along the path of marriage and motherhood, leaving her behind even though for all intensive purposes, she maintained a facade of indifference regarding the subject. The truth was; she wanted very much to be married to Ezra but the fact of the matter was, he simply was not ready. Julia loved him enough to allow him the time to heal after his horrific experience at the hands of Hannibal Julius. She could see in his eyes the effect it still had upon him and did not press him with issues he was in no position to cope with. It did not help that not all their friends were unaware of what had happened to him as those who did know, maintained the secret of his ordeal. Ezra was having enough difficulty with them knowing the truth to be able to bear all his friends becoming privy to what he considered his greatest shame.
"Oh there'll be plenty of time for that," Julia answered, producing a smile of confidence that everything was as it should be and that the situation as it stood was precisely what she desired. She dared not mention it to the others that there was a problem because in doing so, she might have to explain why it had originated and that would lead them straight to Julius. Ezra's esteem was barely holding together with the knowledge that some of the seven knew of his ordeal. Julia dare not imagine how his state of mind would deteriorate if his secret were out in the open.
"I agree." Rain remarked since she and Nathan had discussed the subject in passing.
"Aunt Nettie won't let me think about it until I'm older," Casey volunteered, not wishing to let Julia feel as if she ought to be pressed for an answer. Instinct told her that there was something in the titian beauty's eye that indicated "I guess she wants me to do a little growing up first."
"What about you Audrey?" Mary asked, glad that Casey had joined in. The girl had been all too somber lately and today was the first time in too long that she seemed somewhat recovered from her abuse by Neil Blackwood.
"Oh we have some ways to go yet before we're ready for that." Audrey chuckled. "I'm somewhat happy with the ways things are at the moment. They'll change when they're ready."
Julia did not respond to that statement because she knew that change was not all it was meant to be.
Ezra arrived at the ranch a short time later with Maude and did not all appear happy to be having his mother in his company. Chris Larabee could understand his apprehension, aware that Ezra had been edgy ever since the lady had announced her intention to visit. No doubt Ezra was terrified that Maude might inadvertently stumble upon the secret her son wished no one to learn. Although Chris and Maude had never really been close enough to consider themselves friends, they had both held a healthy respect for one another and the part they played in their son's life. Maude seemed to appreciate that Ezra's allegiance, no matter how baffling it may be to her was Chris Larabee's first even before herself. Chris considered this an unfair comparison because Ezra's regard for both of them differed diametrically. In this instance, Chris wondered if perhaps Ezra would benefit from Maude learning the truth. Even though he hardly remembered his own mother, Chris did recall enough about Brigid Larabee to know that there were some wounds only a mother could heal.
He had only to watch Billy with Mary to know that to be the absolute truth.
"I see you gentlemen have progressed considerably in your endeavor without me." Ezra remarked as he examined the work that the rest of the seven had managed to complete in his absence. The framework of the house had been constructed above the stone foundation of floor and another few weekends of hard work would see the home completed in plenty of time for the baby's arrival.
"Don't think we noticed just how long you managed to stay in town picking up Maude, you lazy varmint." Nathan retorted giving him a look.
"Now gentlemen," Ezra pretended to be mortally wounded by the insinuation as he sat down on pile of planks that would make up the walls of the house. "It was not my fault the stage was delayed. I am completely innocent."
"Sure you are," Buck drawled as he and Vin carried out one the planks towards the framework. "Not that you could have done much if you had been here any way. Giving you hammer and nails is almost akin a loaded gun to a baby. Just plain dangerous."
"Are you suggesting that I am ill equipped to handle such a simple task?" Ezra inquired.
"Definitely." JD returned with a devilish grin.
"Well who am I to argue with that," Ezra joined in with a smirk. "After all a gentlemen does not engage in menial labor."
"Oh hell." Vin groaned, rolling his eyes because he had heard this particular remark too many times already. "Thanks for coming anyway." The tracker returned. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind making the coffee run."
"The coffee run?" Ezra asked innocently.
"Meaning go us get some." Chris growled in a tone that was mostly one of mischief than actual menace.
"I refuse to get you men coffee at this hour. Surely it must be time for something a little stronger?" He asked.
"Just get the coffee." Vin retorted. "We can't be getting liquored up when we're building my house!"
"This is an embarrassing use of my talents." Ezra complained as he started to stand in order to approach the ladies where the hot brew was presently residing.
"Hey Ezra," Chris called out to Ezra as a thought crossed his mind. "Any trouble in town?"
The mood immediately shifted from levity to some measure of seriousness, as Ezra understood fully what Chris was asking him. Ever since Bosshard had arrived in Four Corners, the former gunslinger was poised and waiting for trouble. Four Corners had been fortunate enough to avoid becoming entangled in the mess that was the Lincoln County Wars but that did not mean that situation could not change with Bosshard's arrival. Chris had no intention of allowing things to deteriorate to the point it had in those other counties and was certain to keep watch on everything to ensure that. Unfortunately, he could not harass Bosshard when it did not appear as if the man was breaking any laws at the moment. Bosshard was being patient in making his move and though the urge was to throw the man out of town on his ear was tempting, Chris knew he had to be equally patient.
"Everything was peaceful when I departed." Ezra answered, wishing to reassure Chris that all was well while they enjoyed their sojourn here. "Mr. Bosshard was nowhere in sight. After his late bout of gambling which I can personally attest to, I would not be wrong in assuming he is still in bed."
"I hope so," Chris answered. "I don't like him or the kind he hangs with. He knows too many powerful men to not let it get to his head. I can smell it on him."
"Your impressive olfactory skills aside, we need to be cautious in this matter." Ezra pointed out. "You are right, he does have powerful friends and if we err one wit in our dealings with him, they will devour us whole."
"Ezra's right Chris," Buck agreed, having been a law man once before to know that while the forceful method of immediate action produced far better results than sitting by and waiting things to happen, this was one instance where an exception had to be made. "We don't watch our step with Bosshard, he's gonna bring all his friends into this and then there'll be no way to keep 'em out of Four Corners."
"I guess so," Chris frowned still believing that the best way to save themselves a great deal of trouble was to simply shoot the man. "But he's in town a reason and I'm telling you, whatever it is, its can't be good."
After Maude had spent some time catching up with Julia and the rest of the women, even the charming Audrey King whom she had met several terms before and thought to be a suitable match for Josiah Sanchez. While Maude had been the object of his affections some time ago, she had never considered him any more than a friend and was glad to see that someone else was able to offer him the companionship she could not. Josiah was a romantic who craved something permanent while Maude had enjoyed his company during her visits to town and had no wish to lengthen their association beyond those parameters. Julia was keeping well but there was a shadow in her smile that Maude had not seen before and could not deny worried her. This reaffirmed Maude's earlier suspicions that something had happened to Ezra that no one seemed good enough to tell her.
She bided her time and waited until Josiah had taken off alone to retrieve something from the barn before taking the opportunity to have a private word with him. They had always been honest with each other and Maude was certain that if there was something important that involved Ezra, Josiah might be the one to tell her about it. While he did not openly betray confidences, he had a way of making people see the things that they usually missed on their first viewing. Certainly what ailed Ezra was beyond Maude's ability to decipher and she detested the fact that her lack of knowing might keep her from helping him, if that was what he truly needed.
She found Josiah in the barn, searching through the supplies for the house for the bag of nails he had been sent to gather. He looked up at her approach and straightened up immediately, a hint of puzzlement on his face as he wondered she had sought him out. Maude looked over her shoulder and ensured that no one, especially Ezra was near by when she made her inquiry of him. "Hello Josiah," she greeted pleasantly enough. "I thought I might have a word with you alone."
"Certainly Maude," Josiah said pleasantly enough, not understanding what they could have to discuss alone but he was curious enough to let her state her reasons for herself. "What can I do for you?"
Maude took a deep breath, bracing herself for his reaction before she opened her mouth and stated her request directly. "Josiah, what has happened to my son?"
A flash of anxiety appeared in his dark eyes and disappeared just as quickly as his psyche caught off guard moved quickly to hide his initial response. "What do you mean?" He asked slowly and Maude knew without doubt that he was lying to her.
"Josiah," she met his gaze. "He's my son. Granted, I was not the best mother in the world but I still love him and I still worry for him, even now and I know just by the look in his eyes that something has changed for him. I don't understand it and something of its power frightens me. I am assuming that as his friends you know what has happened to put that look in his eye."
Josiah swore inwardly, wondering whether he hated lying more than he hated the fact that maternal perception had allowed her to see something she should not have. "Maude, I don't know what you are talking about" He despised lying to her but he would not betray Ezra's confidence in this matter.
"Josiah please!" Maude exclaimed. "I need to know what's wrong with him. There's something wrong I can tell. Its not just him, I can see it in Julia too. What is so terrible that they cannot even tell me?"
"What makes you think I would know if he wouldn't even tell you?" Josiah countered, hoping that a stiff debate to the contrary would prove to her that he knew as little as she.
"I know how he feels about me Josiah," Maude returned, steel in her voice but also a great deal of dignity as well. "I have made choices for both of us that were necessary for the time. He believes that I abandoned him as a youth, perhaps I did but I have reasons that I'm sure he has not thought of. I did everything I had to for his sake and I am not ashamed of it, nor do I choose to explain myself. I have no doubt that he thinks me a poor mother, that I am more interested in money and the con more than I do for him. That has always been a lie. He's been the best of me and the one thing left in this world that I love more than anything else. I am his mother and I can tell when he is in pain and right now, there are wounds in his eyes I cannot even fathom and I need to if I am to help him."
"Maude," Josiah found himself breaking a little but not enough to give her what he wanted. "You need to talk to Ezra about this, I can't help you."
"You mean you won't." Maude stared at him with hard eyes.
"I mean I can't." Josiah retorted, feeling worse for keeping it from her but it was not his decision that she should know the truth.
"I can help him Josiah," Maude pleased. "Whatever has happened to him, I can help him."
"Not through this," Josiah relented enough to offer. "There are certain things that only he can deal with and this is one of those. Press the matter and you will do more harm than good Maude. Take my advice on this and let it go."
"I can't." Maude declared hotly. "He's my son and I would not be any kind of mother to him if I let him bleed away before my eyes."
Josiah wanted to walk away and leave this subject alone because honestly he did not know how she would react to hearing the news that her son had been raped by a man. How did a parent endure that kind of knowledge? There would be no outlet for retribution either since Ezra had taken care of that himself and how would Maude react to knowing just how Ezra had exacted his revenge? Whatever she was, however the law may be bend around her at times, she was no murderer and Josiah doubted she raised Ezra to be one either. How would she take the knowledge that her darling boy as she was so fond of referring to Ezra had castrated his violator only to suffocate the man with his own genitals?
"Maude," Josiah looked at her sympathetically wishing she could understand that his silence was not due any real desire to hide from her but out of a genuine wish to help Ezra. "I know you want to help but you need to give Ezra his space on this matter. If you push him too hard to tell you the truth, you might break what little is holding him together."
Her eyes widened. "Is that serious?" She asked, her voice hushed.
"Yes," he nodded reluctantly "It's that bad."
"And you'd let me languish with that knowledge only?" She accused. "He's my son!"
"And he's my friend." Josiah countered. "I care about him almost as much as you do and I will not betray him. If you wish to learn anything further about this, you will not learn it from me."
With that, Josiah brushed past her, unwilling to say anymore. If she wanted to find out the truth, she would have to get it from Ezra or not at all.
A sensible woman would have left after her husband died but Gloria Potter was anything but that.
Instead of leaving town after the murder of her husband, Gloria had chosen to remain in Four Corners to run the store he had left behind. She did this not out of any fondness for the people or the locality but rather for the fact that she refused to let adversity defeat her or allow her children think that it was simpler to run away instead of standing their ground. Their father had been gunned down in his store, refusing to be bullied and though it had ended tragically for him, he had died a man, proud and defiant, ready to defend what was his. It set him apart even in death because the rest of Four Corners had been prepared to let his murderer, the wayward nephew of cattle man Stuart James, get away with what he had done until the arrival of a tough Territorial judge that ensured that justice was done.
With the aid of the seven, Judge Orin Travis had seen her husband's murderer pay the price and her decision to hold her ground seemed to be a good idea. With the seven men becoming the town's peacekeepers, Four Corners was afforded an unprecedented period of stability that had not been known since its formation. At first, the town seemed wary of the seven men because they were hardly the kind that inspired trust. They were an eclectic bunch to say the least. Composed of a hardened gunslinger with a notorious reputation, a bounty hunter who in turn was being hunted, a gambler, a healer whose only crime seemed to be his color and a ladies man whose eye for the ladies was almost as vast as his appetite for them. Add to this a preacher who no longer wore the cloth and a boy with more taste for adventure than he had sense and they were a deadly combination.
However as time went on, the men began to embrace Four Corners as more than just a place where they were being paid a dollar a day to defend, but rather as their homes. They settled, they married and still remained the town's peacekeepers. With the security they brought, a new prosperity settled in Four Corners. Prompted by the railroad and thanks to the lack of lawlessness, which was running rife through the rest of the Territory, Four Corners had become an attractive place for investment. The Potter goods store had also prospered during this time and her children were growing up without having to face the hardship she had known in her younger years.
Unfortunately, the years of security had also lulled her into a false sense of complacency and never more so than at this moment when she faced the three men in her store. She had been cataloging her inventory when she had heard the sound of her doors closing, followed by a shadow that descended upon her as the sunlight disappeared and was replaced by the cool sensation of danger. She knew dangerous men when she saw them but until now, had not realized that they were chameleon like that could appear and disappear at will. When she had first met Mr. Benjamin Bosshard, he had been pleasant enough, almost charming to a point but as he stood before her now, with two very formidable men at his side, he appeared to be neither.
"Can I do something for you?" She asked anxiously as they advanced upon her. It did not escape Gloria's notice that one of the men, the one Bosshard called Marks, a tall beefy looking man who look uncomfortable in his suit and looked more at home wearing work clothes had suddenly chosen to take point at the door.
"Yes I believe you may," Bosshard smile and approached the counter behind, which she was standing. The second man in his entourage, Spencer was moving slowly towards the edge of the counter, as if trying to get behind it in order to reach her.
Gloria swallowed, wondering what gave him the right to be so audacious by coming in here and attempting to make threats. Even though he was smiling at her, the gleam in his eyes was predatory.
"I'll do what I can to help," she responded, knowing that she probably would not like what he wanted of her.
"I'm glad," Bosshard responded menacingly even though his voice was almost pleasant. "I would hate to see this go badly. You have a lovely young family, it would be tragic if anything were to happen to them."
The threat was clear and Gloria felt her nerve giving away and her impatience increasing. She wished he would just get to the point. She could not believe that only days ago he had been discussing with Mrs. O'Leary how attractive he was. Bosshard was a man in his late fifties with dark brown hair turning rapidly into gray with a thick bushy moustache. His face was handsome enough but the gleam in his eyes could change his entire persona from charming to terrifying with surprising ease. "What do you want from me?" She finally demanded, conscious of Mr. Spencer standing too close for comfort now.
"Your store." Bosshard said simply and directly.
"What?" Gloria exclaimed.
"I believe there is no need to repeat myself Madam," Bosshard retorted. "You heard me the first time. I want your store."
"Why?" She asked blankly.
"That is none of your concern." Bosshard's face hardened even further, as if he felt insulted at her impertinence for asking.
"It's not for sale." Gloria stated boldly, certain of that fact. This was her husband's legacy to her. He had died protecting it. She was not going to give it up for anything nor would thugs who wanted it different run her off.
"We'll pay you generously." Bosshard tried the direct approach first. He always preferred to settle things amicably before he was forced to use harsher methods to obtain what he wanted.
"I thank you for that," Gloria said politely, "But it's not for sale. I am sorry."
"This is not a negotiation." Bosshard retorted sharply. "We're making you an offer but when its rescinded, you will not get another chance to change your mind."
"I won't change my mind," she declared. "This is my store and it will continue to be my store. You don't scare me." A surge of courage came upon her as her anger began to mount, despite her situation. She knew it was unwise to provoke these men but somehow she was certain that the reason for their lack of interest in the store had much to do with the seven riding out to the Lucky Seven ranch today.
"I had no intention of scaring you Mrs. Potter," Bosshard returned with a predatory gleam in his eyes because he knew exactly what was needed to force her into submission. She was ignorant of this fact so far and he intended to remind her just what she was risking by her defiance. "However, you have several young children under your care and children are clumsy in their youth. I would hate to see anyone of them involved in an unfortunate mishap that could result in injury or at worst death."
"You leave my children alone!" Gloria hissed, surging forward until the only thing that kept her from Bosshard was the counter between them. Spencer had not moved to stop her although he remained ever present in her peripheral vision. "I won't be chased of by the likes of you! You think you can scare me? All I have to do is tell Chris Larabee that you're doing this and he'll come down on you so hard, you won't know what hit you!"
"Now you listen to me bitch!" Bosshard's hand was around her neck so fast Gloria barely had time to withdraw before his fingers pressed into her skin, forcing the scream that attempted to escape her lips back down her throat. "I'm going to have this store one way or another. You can sell it to me or I'll burn it down and open my own, suffice to say I don't appreciate competition in any shape or form! You will sell to me or I'll have Mr. Marks over that gut that litter of yours one by one. You think running to that two-bit gunslinger is going to help? By the time he comes after me, I'll be pissing on your children's dead bodies! Do you understand?"
He would do it too. Gloria could see it in his eyes the terrible spite that lay beneath his blue eyes. He would kill her even if he did not get her store, just to leave an indelible stain upon what he could not have. He would poison the well of her life if he did not get his own way. Men such as this terrified Gloria to no end because they would not stop. Even if Chris Larabee and the rest of the seven managed to drive him away from Four Corners, it would change nothing for him. He would go away just long enough to let down their guard and then he would come back and likely murder her children in their beds, leaving her alive to suffer the guilt of her refusal.
"Yes," she nodded, tears running down her cheeks from her defeat more than the pain of his rough handling. "I understand."
"Good," he smiled, releasing his hold of her. Gloria dropped onto the counter, taking deep and hungry breaths as the air that was denied her a moment ago, once again flooded her lungs. "I'll give you a day to think about my offer and I suggest you think of it carefully. If you run to any of those seven lawmen and cause me any inconvenience, I will make you pay a thousand times before I am done with you. They may drive me from town but I'll kill your children first. Make no mistake on that."
With that, he gestured to his men and left the store, moving out of the premises like shadows that had fallen and disappeared with the shift of light. For a few minutes after he was gone, Gloria remained where she was, breathing hard and trying to come to grips with the situation that had been trust upon her. If she went to the seven, she had no doubt that Bosshard would make good on his threat. However in remaining silent, she would have to give up the store and leave and that would raise as many questions about Bosshard as bringing his crimes to the seven.
No matter how she looked at this, she could not win.
God help her, what was she going to do?
Maude had been especially quiet since they had left the ranch and headed back to town. Ezra wondered if something was wrong with his mother but dared not ask her in case what was on her mind was his strange behavior. Even though she had said nothing, Ezra could not be certain that Maude had not noted anything wrong with him. She was one of the sharpest people he knew and her ability to read him was too honed for her not to suspect even the slightest thing being amiss. Most of the seven and their ladies chose to return at more or less the same time and they made up a small convoy as they rode into town together. The sun had disappeared behind the horizon an hour ago and Ezra was in the mood to indulge himself in a good game of cards at the Standish Tavern to finish the day off.
Maude would no doubt join him in such a venture and Ezra could not help feeling some eagerness to watch his mother in action. She was truly gifted in being able to fleece hapless victims of their hard-earned cash by pretending the vacuous southern belle with no idea how to play. The conversation home had been strangely sedate, not merely from Maude but also from Julia although there was no mystery as to why that was. When a number of women got together, invariably the conversation would fall upon the subject of marriage with its focus on those among them who had yet to make their nuptials. Ezra decided that after he had delivered Maude to the hotel, he and Julia needed to talk. So far she had been unfailingly supportive of him and his difficulties but she needed to know that this state of affairs would not last indefinitely; just until he had a little more time to heal.
They were almost to the hotel when suddenly Maude, who was sitting next to Julia on the buggy Ezra was driving, suddenly sat up straight. The action was so abrupt that both Ezra and Julia noticed her reaction. The lady's eyes were fixed on only one point ahead of her and it was not hard to see that the object of her undivided attention was a man. He had just stepped onto the boardwalk from one of the saloons in town, accompanied by two companions and proceeded to take a languid stroll towards the hotel. For a moment, Maude said nothing as she simply stared, her gaze never leaving Benjamin Bosshard as he continued on his journey, oblivious to her deep scrutiny.
"Mother?" Ezra asked, somewhat concerned by the way she was looking at Bosshard. Ezra was able to judge his mother's moods most of the time but he swore that right now, when she stared at Bosshard, her face disintegrating into mask he did not recognize, it unnerved him. "Is something wrong?"
"Of course not darling," she averted her gaze to him almost mechanically, after Bosshard had entered the hotel, answering him with a smile on her face that did not seem quite real. It resembled one of those careful fabrications she often used just before she took a mark for all he was worth. "I just thought he looked like someone I knew. Who is that gentleman?" She asked with almost polite interest.
"Oh that's Benjamin Bosshard from Lincoln County." Julia answered before Ezra could. "He's been in town this past week on business."
"Business." Maude nodded as if absorbing the information and filing it away for future reference. "Mercantile?"
"We are not entirely certain," Ezra answered, feeling his insides tense although he did not know why. "He is an associate of Laurence Murphy which gives Mr Larabee some measure of concern."
"I see," Maude nodded in understanding. "I take it this is the same Mr Murphy that caused all that trouble in Lincoln County and that nasty business that had the Governor Alten removed by the President?"
"Yes," Ezra nodded, knowing his mother long enough to know that there was more to her interest than she let on. Clearly, she knew Bosshard from somewhere but had not known his name. It was puzzling. "This man that Mr. Bosshard appears to remind you of mother, who was he?"
"Nobody." Maude said distractedly as the buggy came to the hotel and halted by the walkway before it. "Its nothing important darling," she smiled at him. "Ezra, I am tired. I think I shall forgo the nightly activities and turn in for the night."
"Well certainly mother," Ezra answered, becoming more and more anxious about Maude's aberrant behavior. She was not usually one who fatigued or came down with the vapors like other genteel women and there was something in her manner regarding the subject of Mr. Bosshard that disturbed him. He wanted to question her further on the subject but supposed she also had a right to her privacy, lord knows he was keeping enough away from her himself to make demands.
"I shall meet you for breakfast tomorrow if you like." He offered.
'That would be lovely," Maude replied automatically as Ezra climbed out of the buggy to help her down. Once she was on the sidewalk, she leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "You will sleep well tonight won't you dear?"
"Of course," Ezra nodded, puzzled by her behavior but had little chance to ask her anything further because she pulled away from him and swept through the doors of the hotel a second later.
"That was odd." Julia stated once Maude had disappeared.
"It was somewhat disconcerting." Ezra agreed, still staring after the doors. "I have not seen her quite so distracted."
"I'm sure she knew him." Julia stated, her brow wrinkling with just as much concern as Ezra's.
"I am certain she did." Ezra stated finally turning back to his fiancée. "I simply don't understand why she pretended she did not."
"Perhaps it's a personal reason." Julia pointed out.
"Personal?" He stared at her. "I am her son."
"Ezra!" Julia laughed a little. "She may be your mother but she is a woman first. You are more than old enough to understand that. I'm sure there are numerous aspects of her life that she has not told you simply because it is none of your concern."
Ezra frowned at that. He never thought he would dislike the idea of his mother keeping secrets from him, after all, he was hardly a little boy whose was bound too tightly to her by apron strings. Still, Maude and Ezra had a closer relationship than most even though he could not deny her ability to see through him so easily made him vastly uncomfortable at times. Nor could he deny that their relationship has seen some troubled waters ever since he decided to settle in Four Corners as one of the town's peacekeepers. Maude had been disappointed in him for wasting what she considered to be his 'God given talents'. Ezra had never found it difficult to leave that life behind because it had been all he had ever known and inwardly, though he admitted it to no one, he had loathed that existence.
"I suppose," Ezra sighed and glanced at Julia. "I suppose, I should have no business attempting to unwrap the mysteries of one woman when I should be concentrating on you."
Julia looked at him startled, not expecting that response. "What do you mean?"
"I know you are unhappy that we are not married yet Julia." He pointed out.
Julia saw no reason to deny it because he would know that she was lying. "Of course I am disappointed." She said in a measured voice, not at all filled with anger or regret just acceptance of the situation as it stood. Julia was like that, a survivor who always adapted to adversity, be it physical or emotional. "I love you and I want to marry you but I also understand that you need to heal and though I look forlornly at the others around me, I know that someday we will be together. Ezra, things are never conventional with us, haven't you guessed this by now?"
Ezra nodded with slight chuckle. "I did notice."
"I can wait for you," she smiled resting her hand on his cheek as she looked own at him from the seat on the buggy. "I can wait forever because I love you. I may wish things were otherwise sometimes but that's the truth."
"I love you," Ezra found it easy to admit that when she said such things to him and once again, he thanked the deities that seen fit to have him tortured at Julius' hands, had also been kind enough to give him someone like Julia who loved him so unconditionally.
Julia was about to respond when suddenly a gunshot shattered the serenity of the night air. Ezra immediately turned away from Julia and hurried into the hotel where the gunfire had originated. It did not take him long after he had penetrated its confines to know where exactly the commotion had began because the greatest concentration of reactive voices were coming from the hotel saloon. People were standing in the way at first but when Ezra fought his way through them, they realized who was attempting to reach the nucleus of the commotion and readily stepped aside for him, He was after all the closest thing to lawman amongst them. There were shots in the center of the melee and the corresponding reaction of the onlooker's made it difficult to discern what was being said.
When Ezra arrived at the center of the saloon floor, he found himself faced with an incredible scene; one his mind almost had difficulty processing at first Being held back by two of his companions while Benjamin Bosshard himself lay on the floor, clutching his bleeding shoulder, was Maude. One of Bosshard's associates had a large fist wrapped around his mother's wrist, trying to force the small derringer out of her grip. The other was keeping her restrained in a similar manner as Maude flung curses at Bosshard that left Ezra's jaw agape in astonishment. Indeed the shock was evident on everyone who watching and Ezra did not realize that Julia was behind him until he heard her verbalize her astonishment.
"Oh my God Maude!" Julia cried out.
"Let me go!" Maude hissed at the two men who were holding her.
Ezra reacted almost instantly in coming to his mother's defense and had his guns drawn, his Remington and his derringer, aimed squarely at both men, more than ready to shoot if they did not obey his order to release Maude.
"Let... her... go." He ordered in a low and deadly voice.
"She just shot me!" Bosshard roared angrily, holding his bleeding shoulder which to Ezra's eye did not appear as serious as it looked even though the blood and pain made it difficult for Bosshard to make that determination himself.
"Mother, did you shoot this man?" Ezra stared at her trying to hide his own shock and maintain a look of impartiality even though he knew she must have done it because she was still holding the gun. The two men were having a great deal of trouble trying to keep her from pulling the trigger once more and Maude's eyes revealed a look of fury that Ezra had never in his life seen.
"Yes I did!" Maude barked as she maintained that enraged glare on Bosshard. "I've waited too long for this! I will kill you!"
"I've never seen this woman before in my life!" Bosshard retorted in outrage as some one of the saloon patrons helped him to his feet.
"Of course not!" Maude shouted back in defiance, almost breaking free of the grip that held her as she hissed that statement. "Why would you? You never saw me even though you did everything to ensure that we were hunted like animals but I was too smart for you! You expected me to be one of those foolish frontier wives who did not know how to care for herself. I did know how to look after myself and I saw to it you never got your hands on either me and my son! Nor will you ever!"
Now Ezra was starting to get confused. "Mother, what are you talking about? How do you know this man?"
"I know this man because," Maude averted her gaze from Bosshard and met his eyes finally. "He murdered your father."